Working hard to make sense of it all

As my wife would agree with, I’m pretty oblivous to a lot of things. When I started seeing, “What’s your #oneword” tweets, I had no clue what was going on. Then, “What are your #threewords?” And I don’t remember which edchat it was, but they talked specifically about it, so I became an educated soul about this topic.

I will also blame Jennifer Hogan (@jenniferhogan) for her awesome blog about her three words as pushing me towards this post. I’ve been frustrated with many things over the past year and didn’t plan on doing something like this. My goals have been missed a lot lately, I’ve not had success in my classroom (you are your own worst critic), and we have two teenaged daughters, enough said. However, after listening on Voxer (thanks MoChatPeeps), reading Jennifer’s blog and others, I need to stretch myself again. Even if I do fail, I’m making the attempt. I always tell my students “don’t tell me what you can’t do, show me what you’ll try.” If I mean that, it’s has to be for me too.

So:

#oneword = Hope

This year is going to more crazy than before. We have huge changes in the horizon for our district, my oldest daughter will be a senior, and so much of my life is going to be different in 12 months. All I can do is have hope in that this change will be for the best, that we’ve guided our daughter in the best ways that we can, and that all will continue to work out for myself personally and professionally. If we don’t have hope, what do we have?

#threewords = Change, Health, Transformation

Good grief, am I thinking of becoming a bodybuilder or buying a turbo charged muscle car? Nope (all though, I am tired for rocking the mini-van).

Change

No, I’ve mentioned the change all ready, and have mentioned, it’s a struggle for me. This will be a year of monumental change. It’s coming. It will happen. It’s time to deal with it and see where it takes me.

Health

As for health, it wouldn’t be a new year if we didn’t talk about health somehow. I’ve gained 10 pounds since the beginning of the school year, have lost much of the fitness gained at the beginning of last year, and can feel it. We’ve always eaten healthy (to much protesting by the daughters) but have gotten away from that as life has gotten more and more busy. This is the time where my father starting having blood pressure issues, it’s the time where my grandfather started having heart issues. It has to be the time where I start to regain control of my own health. 20 pounds is a lot of weight to lose of the course of a year, but it would help my life tremendously to feel better physically.

Transformation

This is one of those catchy buzz words of education (transformational change *cue dramatic music*) that seems to be making its way around right now. Honestly, I’m not sure how this even works, but something needs to happen. I’m not sure if it’s a change in job titles, a change in jobs, weight loss, or if it’s something I’ve not even come across yet. That’s the part that worries me the most I guess, what does this look like? Feel like? Sound like? And that all leads back to change, which in turn, goes back to hope. All I can do is trust myself, my wife, those around me whom I talk with and hope I’m making the best decisions possible.

Yeah, as I’ve read other people’s blogs about these topics, they were a bit more on the optimistic side. If that’s what you are looking for coming in, you should have known better by now! 🙂 I’ve always been a realist, which doesn’t always leave a lot of room for the optimism to come out. I’m excited to see where this year takes me, but nervous as hell too, because there are going to be so many crossroads coming up.

“If you give 100 percent all of the time, somehow things will work out in the end.” This is one of my all time favorite quotes, one that is with me a lot in my life. It’s something I will continue to fall back on as I forward into what looks like one heck of a year! 🙂

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Darin Johnston

Just a guy from Iowa, who's suddenly found himself at a place in life he never expected to be 20 years ago! I live on an acreage with my wife, two daughters, two dogs, seven cats, chickens, two cows, and quarter acre garden.
Find me at my blog: Life of a Conflicted Teacher
https://iowaconflictedteacher.com/

2 thoughts on “#Oneword, #Threewords, and Some Resolutions Too”

Love your one little word (and your 3 words also). I’ve done one little word for several years, although only the last couple have I blogged about. Also have some of my students do it. They came up with great words.

I also want to invite you to a great blogging community. Over the weekend, Ruth Ayres has a Celebration Link Up. Teachers share little celebrations from their week. Nothing earth shattering. Just little moments. I know you are having a more difficult year this year and I thought this Saturday celebration might be just what you need to focus on all the good you do.

Mama, Coach's wife, Teacher of middle schoolers. I value moments and believe that the small things really are the BIG things. My thoughts run deep. Life is a mess- a cozy, uncomfortable mess. But it's mine, and only I can make it happy.

Three high school English teachers share ideas, hopes, questions, fears, struggles, insights, and successes during their journey to transform their classrooms, their teaching, and their students through rigorous independent reading and writing.